Sunday, 14 April 2013

A looming test case will soon make clear how serious the
defence ministry (MoD) is about its recently expressed intentions to end
corruption in arms procurement by indigenizing defence production. Hindustan
Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), the Bangalore-based public sector aircraft builder has
challenged the IAF’s plan to purchase more Pilatus trainer aircraft by building
a basic trainer aircraft, using its own funding.

Of the IAF’s total requirement of 183 basic trainer
aircraft, 75 PC-7 Mark II trainers have already been bought for Rs 2,900 crore from
Swiss company, Pilatus. The first few Pilatus trainers have already been
delivered and the IAF will begin training rookie pilots on the PC-7 Mark II
this July. With the IAF’s immediate requirement met, HAL demands that the IAF
buy 108 HTT-40 trainers to complete its fleet.

This has led to a dramatic three-way face-off between the
MoD, HAL and the IAF. The IAF insists that it needs more Pilatus trainers
immediately and is pressing the MoD to exercise the options clause in the
Pilatus contract for 37 more PC-7 Mark II trainers. HAL points out that Pilatus
will complete delivery of the initial order for 75 trainers only in 2015. If
the HTT-40 does not fly by then the options clause can be exercised then,
bringing HAL’s order down to 71 aircraft.

The MoD, which is the final arbiter, is caught in a cleft
stick. Last year, as reported by Business Standard (Dec 19, 2012, “MoD rejects
HAL’s proposal to build basic trainer”) the MoD chose the readily available Pilatus,
saying that the HTT-40 was more expensive. But now, HAL has submitted a cheaper
price bid. And with the MoD battered by allegations of corruption in overseas arms
purchases, defence minister AK Antony is himself inclined to buy Indian.

Meanwhile a pro-active HAL has committed Rs 40 crore of company
money to develop the HTT-40, and is allocating another Rs 160 crore that will
also pay for three flying prototypes. At the Aero India 2013 show in Bengaluru
in February, HAL exhibited a full-scale model of the HTT-40 and an impressive
team of young aeronautical designers, who were calmly confident that the HTT-40,
rather than the Pilatus PC-7 Mark II was the future of basic flying training in
India’s military.

Prashantsingh Bhadoria, one of the HTT-40’s designers, told
Business Standard that the HTT-40 would eventually cost Rs 35 crore per
aircraft, including the cost of developing a weaponised variant. The 75 Pilatus
that the IAF has already signed up for cost Rs 38.5 crore per aircraft. The HAL
team at Aero India 2013 said that the HTT-40’s only two imported systems would
be the engine and the ejection seat, which together cost Rs 6 crore.

“It is easy to see what benefits India’s aerospace industry.
The Rs 38.5 crore that we pay for each Pilatus PC-7 Mark II goes entirely to
Swiss manufacturers. Of the Rs 34.5 crore that each HTT-40 will cost, India’s
aerospace industry will get Rs 29 crore; only Rs 6 crore will go abroad,” says
Bhadoria.

A MoD rethink is underway. The ministry’s high-level Defence
Procurement Group (DPG) has asked HAL to prepare a life cycle costing of the
HTT-40, which is an estimation of what the trainer will cost to buy, operate,
maintain, upgrade and overhaul during its estimated service lifespan of 30-40
years. Given that the HTT-40 will be built, maintained, overhauled and upgraded
in HAL, the Pilatus will inevitably appear more expensive in a life cycle
comparison.

Top HAL sources tell Business Standard that the life cycle
estimates make a fleet of 108 HTT-40’s trainers cheaper than a PC-7 Mark II
fleet by Rs 4,500 crore.

MoD officials say that the life cycle comparisons will be
evaluated by the DPG and then taken before the ministry’s apex Defence
Acquisition Council (DAC). If the DAC approves the project, HAL will get
funding and IAF orders for up to 108 trainer aircraft.

HAL has also proposed supplying the HTT-40 to the Indian
Navy, which will eventually have more than 500 aircraft, including aircraft
carrier based fighters. HAL is confident that the navy will eventually set up
its own training establishment, instead of training naval pilots in IAF
training facilities. This would provide an additional market for the HTT-40.

HAL’s projections suggest that the HTT-40 will fly at 600 km
per hour, reach an altitude of 10,000 metres, fly 3,000 km non-stop, and carry
a 500-pound bomb or a mix of weaponry like guns, rockets and bombs. This would
allow the HTT-40 to operate as a light strike aircraft, like the Hawker
Beechcraft AT-6, which the US is considering for supply to the Afghan National
Air Force.

The HTT-40 and the Pilatus PC-7 Mark II are “Stage-1” trainers
for rookie pilots, which will replace the obsolescent HPT-36. After basic
training, fighter pilots will move on to “Stage-2” training on the Intermediate
Jet Trainer, which HAL is developing. After that, pilots will graduate to
“Stage-3” training on the Hawk advanced jet trainer. Only after that will they fly
IAF frontline combat aircraft.

HAL's proposal to internally fund and build four prototypes is most welcome and they should launch it immediately, with at least two aircraft, if not four. This will help establish their non-existent credibility, if the time frame and performance that they promise, is demonstrated. The Intermediate Jet Trainer, which is supposed to to used in the Stage II training, is already far behind schedule. If the HTT-40 meets the requirements, then it will be a quantum leap in HAL's performance and much value will accrue to the indigenous effort...but as it stands, there is a huge chasm between what HAL 'says' (Faithfully reported by BT), and what it actually has 'achieved'!

Though normally any claim of HAL must be taken by bucketloads of salt, it does seem that indigenous production of any weapons system will benefit this country in the long run. Now that HAL has firmed its design, other Indian companies must also be included in the aircraft bidding process so that ultimately the Indian weapons industry can grow as a whole and not only HAL.

However, can someone please clarify how effective will be propeller driven 'weaponised' trainer aircraft be?

Which AF in the world uses 2 different planes for stage 1 training, i think none.

Just because they are priced less doesnt mean IAF must buy the HTT40. If at all HAL should have developed this in 1990s itself then the need for Pilatus wouldnt have arised.

Since they didnt do it and IAF needed planes to train its pilots which Pilatus is doing well, better scrap HTT40 or even the IJT 36 as well and instead HAL must put all that money in upgrading production standards of its units, so that advanced jets like the Su30MKI or Rafale are made as per international quality standards

I am with the program when it comes to buying local goods. But the way I understand the situation is that HAL reduced its price after Pilatus turned out to be a lower cost option compated to their original quoted price. If this is correct, then this is not how deals get done. HAL should have put their best price up front.

Comparing the cost of HTT-40 with the Pilatus trainer is like comparing a HMT watch with a Swiss rolex. An absurd comedy.

HAL can't deliver a safe and reliable aircraft that satisfies the IAF. Their "lower" price is meaningless when the aircraft is useless and potentially junk.

The Pilatus aircraft are top of the line, efficient, safe and reliable aircraft that offer IAF pilots with a modern aircraft to fly in. HAL on the other hand has a pretty diagram and a spotty record for aircraft quality and aeronautical competence (HTT-34 anybody?). Besides, even HAL will import the engines, electronics, control system and various other parts in its "indigenous" aircraft.

The cost of lives is WORTH ATLEAST the price difference between HAL's contraption and Pilatus. The IAF must demand that HAL aircraft should ocme with a warranty and any fatalities caused due to mechanical or design defects result in criminal punishment of the engineers and management involved.

I hope HAL can succeed in its mission. A question to knowledgeable people. Can't the Kaveri engine as it is today be used in the Indian IJT or even in the advanced jet trainer ( presumably) in place of the BAE Hawks ? Thanks!

Instead of harping on to the unreliable HTTP-40 Trainer, if HAL seriously and aggressively promotes the Tejas-Mk1 Tandem seat Trainer as the LIFT for the IAF , then the things may be really favorable, beneficial and fruitful to all concerned.

If MoD waits unti 2015 when Pilatus deliveries run out before making a decision on the next tranche, then I assume there will be a disruption to deliveries since Pilatus needs time to source and assemble the planes. Likewise, if the HTT-40 finally is deemed acceptable in 2015, then there would be a delay from that decision point to putting it into production and delivering them. The prudent approach would be a mini-order of Pilatus before 2014, to allow for a year or so of deliveries past 2015, and if HAL's product is ready enough and economically advantageous enough to justify the decision at that point, then future production can be sent to HAL.

Whether or not IAF orders 15 or 20 more Pilatus is pretty much superfluous, if HAL can establish the case then they will get their product ordered by IAF, which will enable future IN orders as well. If it's economically superior to Pilatus, then HAL should be able to export it as well. There's no reason to disrupt IAF training needs in the meantime, and doing so just isn't really a signifigant benefit to HAL (or it's owner).

An armed version of this could be very capable. Over the next 10-20 years, states in SE Asia, Central Asia, and Africa will be busy fighting jihadist insurgencies. An armed HTT-40 could be widely exported.

This is a fine article on what the U.S. is doing to arm its trainer aircraft: http://www.rdmag.com/news/2012/06/gtri-helps-transform-t-6-trainer-light-attack-aircraft

I'd be very surprised if HAL does indeed manage to deliver the aircraft at the stated price. The risk is that there will be enough cost and time overruns that IAF will be in the same position that it finds itself in w.r.t. the Tejas.

HAL is right in that the two major systems that will be procured from abroad cost a small fraction of the overall price. What doesn't make sense is why the airframe and avionics should cost Rs.32 crores. How hard is it for HAL to strip apart and reverse engineer a Pilatus? The airframe is not some exotic design. It is the usual riveted aluminum construction. If ISRO can build rockets for peanuts, surely HAL can be challenged to do the same? Unless HAL knows something we don't about where the money is going, something doesn't add up.

We in India do things backwards - design fighter jets before we design trainers, build research institutes before we build primary schools, build an aviation infrastructure for airlines before we build general aviation. No wonder we can't get most things right.

Great News and teh way to go!However the News is ( at present !) too good to be true.

There are enough instances when we have foreclosed promising projects just when we were emerging from the woods.A likely scenario would be that just when the HTT 40 begins to show promise Pilatus would suddenly "agree" to reduce it's prices and the HTT 40 will be abandoned "due to commercial" considerations.

For an altitude of 10,000 feet you could as well use a PISTON ENGINE than a TURBOPROP.

Tata, Mahindra, TVS, Ashok Leyland have all got some experience of building PISTON ENGINES. We build them in India for trucks, cars, tractors and motorbikes. It is a matter of building one that can generate a shaft horsepower of 600shp.

2. If HTT 40 does need a turbo-prop, they could do so easily by developing a downrated GTRE developed Kaveri. Why are they not considering this option?

Obviously they, HAL, are able to build the transmission, avionics, oxygen support system etc.

We have already got in-country technology. And if they are intending to produce only around 2000 HTT 40, using all systems and sub-systems developed within the country, the price of each could be much cheaper, somewhere around 25 crores.

I flew the prototype hpt 32 way back in eighties. Training rookie pilots on nose wheel aircraft is equivalent to traning them in the art of kite flying. Hal should be tasked to manufacture kites instead of aircraft.Ofcourse we can produce a export centric trainer aircraft provided the govt intentions are clear and private players are involved at the apex level.

Joydeep:Ajai has clearly explained the various stages of training requirement for getting used to higher supersonic fighters. This will enable IAF to not lose their precious pilots on MiG-21 platform.Shrikant Dudhe

Dear Rahj,Have you been working with Pilatus company and.... It seems as if you have flown and maintained both the aircrafts in your own hangar(HTT40 is yet to built and still you say it to be bad ..Hahaha)